


A Whole New World with You

by Meruchan0720



Series: My Life is a Fairytale [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-01-26 16:12:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1694441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meruchan0720/pseuds/Meruchan0720
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A runaway. A street rat. One fated encounter. </p><p>Aladdin-inspired AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Whole New World

**Author's Note:**

> Part One of Two
> 
> Edit: I added a few more things at the end because it felt too rushed.

Seijuurou met Kouki on his first trip into the city. It was memorable in many ways but there were a few things that stood out most to him.

The skies were clear and the air was fresh – no sandstorms had passed for nearly a fortnight. The streets were crowded and bustling, a cacophony of sound that he found hard to get used to but the energy was electric and rejuvenating. Wares in stalls from silks to pottery to jewels lined the wide dirt road and torches and lanterns were being lit as the sun began to set over the high walls.

  
It was a little disconcerting as the evening wore on but it was an experience that he’d likely never forget in his life. First, he’d never been accused of stealing (not that anyone would dare, really) until then. Second, never had anyone so much as implied that he was mentally challenged (at least, not to his face). Third, he’d never been “rescued” by a mousy peasant boy who outright said he was insane to a storeowner who called him a thief then proceeded to pull him away from the judging glance of the crowd.

  
They hid in an empty, narrow alley, sufficiently lit by a burning torch and Seijuurou finally got a good look at his “rescuer”. He was clad in a tunic that was thin enough to be considered rags and his feet were bare on the, thankfully, cooling ground as the sun set. He had short, brown hair that looked unevenly cut and wide, innocent looking brown eyes the color of sand outside the borders of his country. He looked panicked, peeking into the street before he heaved a sigh.

  
“Are you alright?” he asked and he looked so earnest that Seijuurou answered unthinkingly.

  
“Yes.”

  
“You should be really careful!” he said. “The Royal Guard could have taken you to the dungeons if Old Aman had his way.”

  
Seijuurou raised a brow. It wasn’t like he stole gold or jewelry. The store sold only fruits, after all, and he’d only wanted to give one to a child. He had every intention of paying, of course, but the storeowner grabbed his wrist almost immediately.

  
“Old Aman is a wealthy merchant and he has a few friends among the soldiers in the Royal Guard,” the boy continued. “He gets people arrested for the smallest things.”

  
Seijuurou huffed. It wasn’t like the soldiers could do anything to him. Still, he would rather not be caught so early this evening and risk getting discovered. “We – I… I understand,” he said to the boy, the words a little awkward in his tongue. “I… am grateful for your assistance.”

  
The boy’s face smoothed immediately and he smiled. For someone who did not have a very remarkable face, he had such a beautiful smile. It lit up his face, innocent and guileless.

  
“Oh, um, you’re welcome! I… I’m Kouki, by the way!”

  
He held a hand out and for a moment, Seijuurou was baffled, looking at the hand warily until Kouki’s hand trembled and his smile lost that brightness. He took the offered hand firmly in his grasp, feeling its warmth but not truly understanding why Kouki was shaking it up and down.

  
“I… I am… Reo.”

  
And that was just the beginning.

  
One escape became two then three and each time they would meet in that same alley and Kouki proved himself a surprise despite his rather ordinary appearance. Their meetings became increasingly frequent until the days become weeks and though he has to work twice as hard, he deems it all worth it. He is more than aware that he was growing utterly enchanted with the boy, how dangerous their association is becoming but he can’t bring himself to stop.

  
Kouki is everything that he admires and looks for in a person. He is unassuming and seemingly unremarkable yet he shines brightly in Seijuurou’s eyes. He is uneducated in the conventional sense but he is clever. He is cautious but brave. He is practical yet generous. He is timid but he is not overly coy. He is honest, honorable and straightforward.

  
Seijuurou likes his smile, delights in his laughter, awed by his courage and his optimism despite hardships. It isn’t until recently that his eyes begin to venture to the flush on his cheeks, to his supple lips, to his neck and whatever the tattered rags he wears hides underneath. Accidental touches make him aware of the calluses in Kouki’s hands, of the warmth of his skin and the gentle firmness of his touch.

He wants to know more, wants to unravel and discover everything that there is to Kouki. It makes his blood rush to unspeakable places and while he once thought of intimacy beneath him, now he thinks that it would be worth it. He wants to give Kouki a better life, to be by his side always. Yet, at the same time, he feels unworthy of him and his affection… because he’d been lying to him since they met and as much as he hates to admit it, he is afraid to tell him the truth about himself.

He sighs, unable to concentrate on the documents that needed his attention and drops his quill. Perhaps a moment or two of fresh air would clear his mind of Kouki, at least, temporarily until they can meet again tonight. He stands at the balcony of his study, a hidden alcove between the towers and the pillars where the city beyond the walls is still visible.

  
He wonders what errand Kouki is doing now and where it’s taking him. He hopes that he wouldn’t be too tired like the last time they met. Learning that Kouki grew up in the streets, working odd jobs and running errands to the desert tribes in nothing but the clothes on his back was both humbling and worrying.

  
He can’t help but want to take even a little bit of his burden and thinks what gift would be most appropriate for tonight’s meeting.

  
“A coin for your thoughts, Seijuurou?”

  
Red eyes turn calmly at the source of the voice and are unsurprised by the lithe figure floating just beyond the balustrade, eyeing him with quiet amusement.

  
“Shuuzo,” he greets with a slight nod but says nothing more. Instead, he gazes back to the city, thinking of an appropriate gift.

  
“Reo’s worried about you.”

  
“Hn.”

  
“He didn’t want to ask you directly which was why he asked me.”

  
“Hn.”

  
“It’s unlike you to be so distracted. What’s wrong?” The pale, black-haired figure, donning a dark blue vest and loose, white pants, steps on the balustrade before sitting down, the gold jewelry on his wrists and ankles tinkling softly as he crosses his arms and legs. “Perhaps you have a wish you’d like to make?”

His dark eyes, unfathomable and inhuman, stare into Seijuurou’s own.

  
“No. I – we request your advice… about a gift,” Seijuurou says after a moment of thought. If Shuuzo noticed his mistake, he gave no indication of it.

  
“A gift?” Shuuzo murmurs thoughtfully. “Tell me more.”

  
**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

  
Kouki takes a deep breath, switching his weight from one foot to the other as he waited nervously for Reo. The sun had already begun its descent and it wouldn’t be long now until Reo comes to meet him. He’d have fidgeted and wrinkled his tunic but thankfully, the basket he holds in his hands stops him from doing so.

  
Heat flushes from his cheeks to his ears as he remembers the handsome man he rescued so many weeks ago. He’d never seen red eyes and red hair before until that day, the color so vivid and as red as the fire burning in one of the torches. Something about the way he stood and the way he carried (or rather, carries) himself screamed noble at Kouki but before he could think, he had introduced himself.

  
It took a while for Reo to take his hand and while he felt sad and disappointed by it, he tried to tell himself that it was only expected. A nobleman had no obligation to interact with someone like Kouki who barely managed not to become a slave. But then, Reo took his hand and gave him his name and Kouki couldn’t help but hope that he’d made a new friend – something that he’d lacked since he was orphaned in the streets.

  
He doesn’t know what kind of life Reo leads or even if Reo is his real name (he hesitated, Kouki’s sure) but he doesn’t ask and it doesn’t matter. Kouki likes to think that he knows more about Reo than other people do like how he has a secret liking for sweets that he denies vehemently, how he prefers the silence up on the rooftops to the bustle in the city, how his nose wrinkles when he finds something he disapproves of or how he bites his lip when he’s thinking carefully.

  
“Kouki?”

  
A shiver goes up and down Kouki’s spine as the husky whisper carries in the darkened alley. He takes a deep, calming breath because recently, for some reason, he becomes too flustered when he hears his name from Reo’s lips, his heart starting a staccato rhythm that makes him feel faint.

  
Kouki turns and there he is, wearing a thick, nondescript brown cloak and holding a roll of something in his arms. Despite the darkness, he can almost see the gleam in Reo’s red eyes, the warmth and intensity in them whenever he looks at Kouki leaving him breathless.

  
He wets suddenly dry lips and looks down, scuffing his newly bought yet worn out sandals on the ground as Reo approaches and he looks up to see the rare hint of a smile in the tilt of his lips that makes him smile right back.

  
“Have you been waiting long?”

  
“No,” he replies. “I just got here.” Kouki trails off uncertainly then clears his throat. “I got paid today,” he says brightly. “I bought something for us. It’s not much but I know this place that sells the best curry and I know the owner so they gave it to me for half the usual price and –” His voice breaks because Reo is suddenly in front of him and he is close. Too close.

  
He likes to think and tell himself that they are only friends but instances like this happen and he doesn’t really know what this means. Reo looks at him with those unreadable red eyes and Kouki realizes that Reo is a little taller than him from the way he looks down to stare into his eyes.

  
Then, he turns his gaze to the basket like nothing happened and Kouki lets out a shaky breath. “It looks very good,” Reo replies though usually he is a lot more reserved when it came to trying new things – especially new food. “Then, I will take us somewhere nice tonight.”

  
Kouki blinks. “Where?”

  
“It’s a surprise,” Reo says with a smirk. He drops the roll of fabric on the ground gently with a muffled thud then whispered, “Carpet.”

  
To Kouki’s surprise, the carpet begins to move, shaking slightly before it unrolled itself to stand in front of them. He gasps, hiding behind Reo who chuckles and winds his arm around his back to push him forward.

  
“It’s alright. It won’t hurt you.” Reo lets go of him and the carpet flattens itself a few inches off the ground as he steps on it. “Kouki, do you trust me?”

  
“What?”

  
Reo turns and holds his hand out. “Do you trust me?”

  
Kouki takes his hand without hesitation before he answers with a breathless, “yes.”

  
The surprise turns out to be a trip to the ocean. Kouki has never traveled so far to see the ocean and under the stars and the moon, it looked like the water was filled with shifting sparkling diamonds. He sits on the carpet, his feet on fine, pale sand, looking up at the cloudless sky. The air is fresh and salty, the waves crashing on the shore is an incredible sight and a wonderful sound that he doesn’t think he can get enough of.

  
Reo sits beside him close enough for Kouki to feel his warmth. The food is laid out between them, half-finished and all but forgotten in the comfortable silence. He finds himself wrapped in Reo’s arms and cloak as a cool breeze blew past, their bodies fitting nicely against each other’s.

  
He blushes, all too aware of their closeness but Reo doesn’t say a word and merely takes his hand and laces their fingers together. He brings the back of Kouki’s hand to his mouth and presses a soft kiss on it, his eyes boring into Kouki’s own.

  
He vaguely wonders why Reo’s eyes seemed to have changed. One is still red while the other appears to be a startling amber. Before he can look closely, however, he finds Reo coming closer and he helplessly bunches the front of his robe in his hands as lips descended on his in a slow, tantalizing kiss that makes him forget his thoughts.

  
He lifts a hand and cups Kouki’s jaw, while his free arm pulls him as close as he can. Kouki shudders and he doesn’t really know what to do but he feels something probing between his lips. He opens his mouth instinctively, welcoming the onslaught of Reo’s tongue and touching it with his own until the kiss grows more intense. He hears himself mewl and moan and whimper and his face burns with both pleasure and embarrassment. He is crushed against Reo’s hard chest as he is bent backwards while Reo looms over him, their lips slanting against each other.

  
He doesn’t really know how it happened but he finds himself on his back with Reo braced on his elbows on either side of his head, his own hands finding purchase on Reo’s shoulders when they part. Kouki’s heart hammers heavily in his chest and his blood is pounding in his ears. The way they panted for breath is somehow deafeningly louder than the roaring waves before them.

  
He likes it and somehow, admitting it gives him more courage as he pulls Reo down for another kiss, taking charge of it.

  
They part a second time and Reo is looking down at him with red and gold eyes that shone in the moonlight.

“Tomorrow,” he says softly. 

  
“Huh?”

  
“Kouki, I have not been honest with you.”

  
Kouki smiles even as he feels a lurch of dread. He cups a hand over Reo’s cheek. “It doesn’t matter. I _know_ you.”

And Kouki surprises himself because it really doesn't matter to him who Reo truly is. He knows who Reo is on the inside. He already knows that what he feels for him is special... and he also knows that it can’t last.

What they have is best left in the cover of the night when there are no eyes to stare and point and judge. 

Because even if it does last, it would be hard for the both of them and Kouki understands the consequences.

Reo will get married someday to a noblewoman of equal standing and soon he’ll forget all about Kouki - the best ending Kouki could ever hope for him. 

He’d seen the opposite happen out on the streets often enough. Promises broken, choosing "true love" that only ever ended in bitterness and resentment. Scorned lovers that only had hatred and betrayal in their hearts. He would never want Reo to suffer through that.

He only wants the best for him. 

Because he loves him,  he knows now and it tears him apart, knowing what he has to do. 

  
“You do know me and it does matter,  Kouki,” Reo insists. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will make things right. Please?”

  
Kouki’s smile wavers with uncertainty but Reo is determined and he just couldn’t say no to him. “Alright.”

  
And Reo smiles, this time genuinely.

Kouki’s heart shatters a little bit more. 

  
**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

  
The next day, Seijuurou waits. And waits. And waits.

Alone in the alley,  he withstands the cold, waiting patiently even as his heart despairs and starts to crack. 

  
The hours pass him by and before long, dawn begins to break.

The Magic Carpet comes back to him but Kouki never came.


	2. With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part2
> 
> Inspired by Aladdin but not so much by the end. Hope you still like it though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait~!

**PART TWO**

Shuuzo likes to think that he understands humans well enough but if there’s one thing he doesn’t understand about them is their penchant for making their lives needlessly complicated. He’s been around for more years than he can ever hope to remember all at once and he’s seen this happen so many times that he can’t help feeling exasperated.

Surprisingly enough, seeing Seijuurou do this to himself the last several days is both worrying and relieving. On one hand, he’d never seen Seijuurou so dejected, restless or uncertain before and it was worrying because the Seijuurou he knows is a confident and ruthless man, unfazed even by the threat of war. He is also incredibly intelligent –a strategist and a capable diplomat who can go toe to toe with the most seasoned of his council. To be undone by a young peasant boy he met on the streets is unthinkable. On the other hand, this only proves that Seijuurou _is_ human, after all, that even the heavy burden placed on his young shoulders did not change him permanently since his father died.

Shuuzo has watched over Seijuurou and his line for so many generations and Seijuurou had always been the most special out of all of them. He brought Rakuzan from the brink of ruin, multiplied her wealth and improved her military prowess when no one thought it was possible anymore.

If there’s one thing that he can say about Seijuurou that he truly admired is that he never gives up and it’s that same intense tenacity that he found in his mismatched eyes the moment he snapped out of his uncertainty.

He remembers that night clearly in his mind, how Seijuurou looked like he’d made the most important decision of his life (which he probably did).

_Seijuurou was in his chambers, ready for bed though he didn’t look the least bit tired yet. It was late and he was standing on the balcony, arms crossed over his chest._

_He was looking at something on the floor and Shuuzo was surprised to find the magic carpet standing at attention, like a young soldier before his commander. He couldn’t help but smile even as he hid behind one of the pillars, ears straining as he listened to Seijuurou give orders to it._

_“Carpet, listen to us carefully,” he said gravely. “We want you to watch over him, guide and help him. Protect him. No matter how many times he sends you away, stay with him until we come for him.”_

_The carpet straightened, puffing out its “chest” and giving him a snappy salute._

_“Good,” he said, nodding in approval as he waved the carpet away and watched it fly off of the balcony and into the night sky._

_Shuuzo watched the exchange, arms crossed over his chest. There was something different about the way Seijuurou stood now, like the cold, angry shroud of despair around him has been lifted away. At first glance, it appeared that he’d returned back to normal but there was something else about him that Shuuzo couldn’t quite grasp._

_“Shuuzo, what are you doing here?” he asked and Shuuzo should have known that he’d be noticed._

_He stepped out of hiding and walked to where Seijuurou stood. “Watching over you,” he answered, “like I’ve done for your father and the rest of your family.”_

_Seijuurou made a vague sound and there was a faraway look in his mismatched eyes as he looked beyond the walls. Shuuzo studied him with a curious gaze._

_“Is he really worth that much? That you would give him a royal treasure and continue to watch over him even after he rejected you?” he asked._

_“He’s different from anyone else,” Seijuurou answered honestly. “Kouki loves us more than he will ever admit.”_

_“How can you be so sure?”_

_This time, Seijuurou looked at him and Shuuzo met his gaze with the sudden urge to flinch. One red eye and one gold eye stared back at him._

_“Kouki is honest and innocent. He knows that I am of noble birthbut even then, not once did he try taking advantage of our… association. He thinks leaving us will be for the best.” Seijuurou laughed humorlessly, a tiny chuckle meant to mock himself. “It took us a while to understand but that is the only reasonable explanation. If not, then everything that was between us was a lie and we refuse to believe that.”_

_Because Seijuurou could not bear thinking that every stolen moment under the stars, every smile, every warm gaze, every gentle touch and those sweet kisses under the moonlight were a ruse… and he could not bear thinking that Kouki –_ his _Kouki – was capable of such deceit._

_Seijuurou was the first to look away, if only to return his hard gaze back to where he was previously staring. “We are not giving up until Kouki is at his rightful place at our side.”_

That was two nights ago. Seijuurou continues to work with his usual steadfast manner but there is definitely something that he was working on that had Reo very troubled though he refuses to talk about it. He doesn’t know what it was but it should prove interesting and it felt like something that has to do with the boy.

Perhaps it’s time that he meets this Kouki and sees for himself what Seijuurou found in him.

Up and away from the crowds, high in the rooftops, Kouki sits under the shade of sewn up pieces of cloth, arms wound around his folded knees. Behind him, Carpet seems to be enjoying itself picking up random baubles Kouki picked up over the years and he wonders, not for the first time, why Carpet chose to stay with him.

He was reluctant to keep it, kept pushing for it to go back to its rightful owner but Carpet was stubborn, crossing its arm-like corners and tilting away from him as if it was looking away and ignoring him. It followed every, single request he made but it refused to leave him and tried to follow him like a puppy across the city.

He still feels uncomfortable having it but he was grateful all the same as it made travelling across the desert for his errands a lot easier even if they did have to land a reasonable distance away from settlements because enchanted objects like it is very valuable. He thinks, no, he _knows_ that Reo said something to it but he doesn’t think about it further because anything that reminds him of Reo makes his chest seize painfully.

He feels a tap on his shoulder and he turns to look at Carpet who was holding a small vial at him and he takes it carefully as if it might shatter. This vial is the only thing left of his most pleasant memory of that night, besides the carpet. Halfway filled with sand so pale with a small shell they found at their feet, it is the only reminder of the night when he could see the stars glittering in the night sky and the mirror-like surface of water, could feel the sand sift fluidly on his feet, could smell the salt in the cool air, could hear the vicious roar of the crashing waves.

He remembers seeing vivid red, feeling the warmth of another around him, hearing the sound of his voice, so soothing and low. He remembers the kisses under the stars, the fervent note in that voice he once thought incapable of asking and he can’t help but feel his eyes water at the guilt that filled him when Reo drew the promise from him and how he broke it.

He can’t begin to imagine what Reo felt the night.

“Come now, why the tears, young one?”

Kouki’s spine snaps straight, all thoughts forgotten as he swivels to the source of the voice. For a second, his heart seems to have skipped a beat then started a quick rhythm even as Carpet happily jumps before floating over to meet the strange man and flies in circles around him.

He studies him for a moment. Pale skin, dark hair and dark, unfathomable eyes on a timeless face that is neither cold nor kind, his visitor stands a small distance away, dressed in a blue vest and white pants. Gold jewelry decorates his ears, wrists and ankles and Kouki notices that his feet are bare even as he stands under the glare of the afternoon sun.

“Do I know you?”

“No, but you know someone I know,” he says with an inscrutable smile.

Cold dread seizes Kouki’s heart and he tries to calm himself and Shuuzo almost feels sorry for the way those brown eyes widened in panic. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I think you do.”

Kouki doesn’t know who this man is or his purpose in coming here but he obviously knows about him and Reo. He doesn’t look or feel like a bad person but Kouki doesn’t trust him.

“No, I don’t. Please leave me alone.” Kouki stands and turns away.

“He cares a lot for you, you know,” the stranger declares, freezing Kouki with his words. “Even now when you broke his heart.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Kouki whispers dejectedly. “This is for the best.”

The stranger is suddenly in front of him, making him step back in alarm. “ _Humans_ ,” he mutters under his breath but Kouki couldn’t think any further about that odd statement because those impossibly deep eyes are staring in his own as if it is peering into his soul.

The stranger pulls away from him with satisfaction and Kouki assumes he found whatever it was he was looking for, if the smile is anything to go by.

“You really do love him, don’t you?” Shuuzo whispers as he peers at the boy in front of him, watching the way he fidgets with the front of his tunic.

Kouki can’t stop the sad, shy smile on his lips. “It’s hard not to. Reo’s the only one who looked at me and _saw_ me.”

“Reo?” The stranger blinks before a slow smile stretches his lips. “Ah, I see,” he says to himself before he turns around and walks away. “Let me tell you something, Furihata Kouki. Se – _Reo_... loves you and he’s not one to give up. He’ll fight for you until you surrender.”

Before Kouki could reply (or think of one), the stranger was gone and left him in confusion.

**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

There is something about Sei-chan in the last several days that somehow both mystifies and terrifies Reo. There is something about the way he looks colder somehow, determined and immovable that makes the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end whenever those intense, sharp eyes look at him.

His mind seems to wander and he has this faraway look in his eyes though he still worked incredibly well for someone who was distracted (or as distracted as someone like Sei-chan could get).

The set of his shoulders was tense as if he’s preparing for a long fight and those eyes… He’d never before seen Sei-chan’s gold eye for this long. Whatever caused this has to be something big enough to warrant the legendary eyes of Rakuzan’s royal family. It is worrying because nothing short of war could possibly draw those eyes out.

But what it could be Reo could only guess. Shuuzo knows what got Sei-chan in this mood but he isn’t saying anything and Reo is not about to pry. He saw the genie loitering around looking smug whenever he looked at Sei-chan.

He watches as Sei-chan reads through the documents in front of him almost mechanically and with astounding speed before the document gets signed and stamped with his seal. Scrolls and sheets of paper are stacked on his desk and without any complaint, he reads them all.

Reo is reading through their financial records when the thin parchment crumples in Seijuurou’s hands as he finishes reading through the reports from the Royal Guard.

“Sei-chan, what’s wrong?” he asks urgently as he stands from his chair and makes to leave. “Where are you going?”

He hands Reo the crumpled parchment and he scans it quickly.

Reo is left alone to stare at Seijuurou’s retreating back before he reads the report again and tries to piece it together with Sei-chan’s insistence.

_Why in heaven’s name is the sultan of Rakuzan so taken by the trial of a lowly thief?_

**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

“It’s my carpet! He stole it from me!”

“I didn’t! It was given to me!”

“As if anyone would give something so valuable to a thieving, lying peasant,” Old Aman taunted with an ugly sneer.

“I’m not a thief and I’m not a liar! Please believe me! I’m not!” Kouki shouts and he seriously wants to cry as the heavy iron shackles bites into his wrists as the guards pull him back. “It’s mine! He gave it to me!” His voice lowers down to a whisper. “He gave it to me.”

This is unbelievable. Never in Kouki’s wildest imagination did he imagine being in this hall, accused of stealing among dozens of strangers but there he is, chained and held back like a dog for a crime that he did not commit.

The Magic Carpet is struggling in the hands of soldiers near the judge, rolled up as it is and wrapped tightly in thick rope and he really wants to go there and set it free so it can go back to its real owner. Across from him, Old Aman looks back at him smugly, shrewd, beady black eyes glaring at him with an ugly, greedy sneer on his old, wrinkled face. Unlike Kouki who looked as if he’d been dragged in the dirt (which really isn’t far from the truth), the old man is sitting comfortably with his arms crossed, displaying the jeweled rings on his fingers.

The thing about this trial is that Kouki knows he is horribly unmatched and he would most likely perish for a crime he didn’t commit and the carpet taken away. People came to testify against him, most of them Kouki had never laid eyes on. Despite the few who came to speak for him, it still wasn’t enough. Aman had influence among the Royal Guards and the judge is also a close friend of his, looking at Kouki with a bored air as if the decision has already been made and everything else is only a formality.

“I think this court has heard enough,” the judge declares in a bored tone. “Theft is a serious crime in Rakuzan. As decreed by law, the punishment is imprisonment in the dungeons for a year and on the day after, the thief’s hands will be cut off at the wrist.”

Kouki’s mind stuttered and froze, replaying the judge’s words over and over in his head. He wants to speak, he wants to deny those claims, wants to tell them that it wasn’t true but he already knows he’s outnumbered and already beyond him. He looks at his shackled wrists, at his callused hands and he trembles as he imagines them gone.

“Based on overwhelming evidence and testimony, I sentence the accused – what is the meaning of this?!”

Numb, he doesn’t notice the sudden uproar as the doors to the hall opened and a guard ran to the judge whispering furiously and gesturing broadly. He doesn’t notice the way the judge suddenly straightens, how there is an unusually growing chaos and suddenly. The doors open with a loud bang and a man was standing there, red hair so vivid and red and gold eyes blazing with fury.

“The boy speaks the truth and he will be set free,” he declares, voice calm yet firm and Kouki’s head swivels and his eyes widens as Reo straightens and strides briskly inside the hall until he is in front of the judge, who has suddenly straightened in his seat, obviously stricken. He looks as if he’d get hurt if he makes one wrong move. “This trial is a farce and we will not stand for it.”

“How dare you?! Who are you and what business do you have here?” Aman bursts out as he stands abruptly, the chair falling behind him with a loud clatter. “The carpet is mine and this pathetic, wretched, little urchin took it!”

“Aman, hold your tongue!” the judge hisses pointedly as he keeps his eyes on Reo.

Kouki watches, unable to move because if the situation was out of his hands before, he has absolutely no idea what is going on now. It feels surreal and he doesn’t – _can’t_ – recognize this Reo who is positively brimming with fury. This Reo is standing imposingly, dressed in the finest robes and clad in more jewels and gold than anyone Kouki has ever seen. His eyes are blazing when he turns to Aman, one red and one gold, and Kouki recognizes them but that’s about the only thing he finds similar to the warm and tender Reo he was with before.

The hall is suddenly filled with an oppressive tension that chills him to the bone and he shivers.

“Set the carpet free,” he murmurs but it’s unnaturally loud as he directs his gaze to the judge who starts almost comically and urges the ropes to be cut. It shook even before it could completely unroll itself, standing and waving its tips and making vaguely threatening gestures before it floats to where Reo is standing. He brushes a hand on it. “This carpet belongs to the royal family and has been given freely to that boy.”

_‘…the royal family…?’_

Just then, a dark haired man enters the room with a contingent of guards. “Your Majesty!”

_‘What…?’_

“Reo.”

_‘Reo…? But…’_

“Your Majesty, this is highly unorthodox.”

_‘Your Majesty…?’_

“Reo, unchain him and take him back to the palace. We command it.”

“What? But…”

“There’s no use arguing with Seijuurou, Reo,” pipes up another voice and he looks up to see the stranger he met on the rooftop. He looks down as soon as those dark eyes find him.

“I don’t understand,” says the real Reo, and Kouki agrees with him wholeheartedly.

“I’ll explain later. Right now, it’s best that you follow orders.”

What happens next is a whirlwind of activity as he is released and promptly deposited in an ornate palanquin and the last thing he sees is Reo – no, _Seijuurou_ – with his back to him and everyone dropping to their knees at his feet as the curtains were closed.

**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

A couple of hours later, Seijuurou comes back to the palace and finds Kouki in his chambers, sitting on his bed. In his mind’s eye, he remembers the look of despair and helplessness in Kouki’s face. He can still see the smudges of dirt on his face and caked in his hair. He can see the tattered rags of his clothes, the holes and tears revealing scratches on exposed skin. Worst of all, he can still see the iron biting the tender flesh of his wrists.

He takes a calming breath, silent as he gazes at Kouki who remains unaware of him. He is clean now, skin flushing healthily and his hair still damp from a bath. He is wearing Seijuurou’s clothes, the sleeves too long that he can see him wringing the hems in his fingers. He is quiet and he looks around for a bit before he keeps his eyes on his lap.

He steps inside and Kouki flinches before he searches for the source of the noise. Seijuurou approaches slowly as if approaching an easily frightened animal and sits down a considerable distance away.

“Kouki,” he whispers softly and Kouki bunches his shoulders, shuffling away from him. For the first time, for all his supposed expertise in diplomacy, he doesn’t know what to say because now, he understands that it was partly his fault why Kouki was wrongfully accused in the first place.

Who knew that such a gift would put him in so much danger?

The silence between them is deafening and unfamiliar and Kouki is the one to break it.

“Thank you… for saving me,” he says and he doesn’t look at Seijuurou though he desperately sought out his eyes. “If you hadn’t come when you did…”

He looks at his hands, shudders and Seijuurou can’t stop himself from taking his hands, thumbs rubbing the reddened welts around his wrists tenderly, successfully keeping his temper in check. Kouki doesn’t pull away from him but he doesn’t look comfortable either.

He takes a tremulous breath. “I should have been more careful.”

“It was our fault.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Kouki states and this time he looks at Seijuurou then smiles. “You know, I’ve always wondered why you weren’t very comfortable when you say ‘I’ or ‘me’. Talking like that suits you a lot better.”

It isn’t the most graceful way to change the subject but Seijuurou lets it go. “It is how we’ve been raised. Other monarchs don’t speak as we do anymore.”

“It really suits you.”

The conversation halts again.

It’s funny, Seijuurou thinks. Days ago, he thought to himself how their meeting could go – various situations that he prepared for with speeches, admonishments and confessions but now that the time came to use them, he can’t remember every single one.

“I’m sorry for breaking my promise that night,” Kouki whispers.

Seijuurou breathes deeply. “It’s all right. We understand and we forgive you.”

Kouki looks like he wants to argue but he sighs instead. “Okay.”

The awkwardness settles between them again and Kouki tugs his hands free from Seijuurou’s grasp and he can’t help but feel a distinct coldness the moment they part. “I think… I think I should go now. Thank you… for everything... Your Majesty.”

He stands up and takes a step back then turns and walks briskly out the door, leaving Seijuurou sitting there.

“You can’t honestly let it end there, can you?” says Shuuzo, who is floating upside down from the ceiling, startling Seijuurou. He waves a hand in Kouki’s direction. “ _Go after him_.”

Seijiuurou doesn’t need telling twice and he disappears beyond the door while Shuuzo shakes his head and mutters, “ _humans_.” He knows every nook and cranny of the palace and he finds Kouki looking around himself, obviously lost. He takes him by the wrist and tugs, pulling him into his arms.

“Reo!” Kouki cries out as he holds on to the front of Seijuurou’s robes and Seijuurou winds his arms around his waist and holds him tighter, burying his nose on the crook between Kouki’s neck and shoulder.

“Seijuurou.”

“What?”

“Our name is Seijuurou of the Akashi Clan, sultan of Rakuzan.”

“Um…”

“Say it, Kouki.”

“S-Seijuurou…?”

“Again.”

“I…”

“Please.”

“Seijuurou.”

Kouki’s face is on fire but he says Seijuurou’s name again and again as much as Reo – no, Seijuurou – wants him to. He clings to Seijuurou’s robes, burying his face in his chest, inhaling the scent of him that he misses so terribly.

“I love you so much,” he whispers without conscious thought and everything he wants to say pours out of him. “We can’t be together. We live in totally different worlds and I don’t want you to regret choosing me and hating me someday. You’re going to find a wife, a noble lady who will give you children and make you happy and you’ll forget all about me.”

He pushes him away and this time, Seijuurou doesn’t follow.

**meru meru meru Page Break meru meru meru**

Once again, Kouki finds himself on the rooftop. There are no errands today so his time is mostly spent in silence and thinking. He feels incredibly anxious and antsy, almost like there is something just under his skin telling him that something is coming, like a brewing sandstorm. Pushing himself up on his feet, he decides to find work to distract himself.

He rushes out of the glare of the sun but then finds himself under a shadow. He stops, looks up and finds Carpet just above him.

“What the?!”

Carpet lowers itself to Kouki’s level and seated on it is…

“Seijuurou?! What are you…?”

“I think it’s obvious that he’s trying to court you,” the dark-haired stranger from the rooftop teases, sitting _on thin air_.

“Shuuzo, go away.” Shuuzo rolls his eyes and disappears in a puff of smoke that makes Kouki’s knees weak in surprise.

“So, he’s a…”

“A genie.”

“Oh, I never really noticed.” He clears his throat and looks at Seijuurou. “W-what are you doing here?”

“You heard Shuuzo. We are here to court you.”

“What?! But…”

“You said you love us. For that alone, we will not give you up,” Seijuurou whispers huskily as he tilts Kouki’s chin delicately with the tips of his fingers. “Prepare yourself.”

Three weeks later, the betrothal of the sultan and his future consort is announced.

 

End??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and Criticism are welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued...
> 
> Reviews and comments appreciated.


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